Behind 021: How I help companies turn marketing data into marketing performance

An overview of the projects I work on and how I help companies achieve their business goals with better decision making + data signals

Many of you know me from this very newsletter. But you might not realize that beyond producing marketing analytics content, I spend most of my time helping companies solve complex marketing analytics challenges.

If you’re a marketer, data leader, or growth-focused executive wondering how data can improve marketing results—and how I can help you with that—, then this article is for you.

I provide the most value for companies running across many marketing channels

I specialize in working with companies running multiple marketing activities across channels: paid search, YouTube ads, affiliate programs, and organic SEO, to name a few. The common thread? These companies are navigating complexity—different channels, formats, and KPIs—and need clarity on what’s working, what’s not, and why.

For example, comparing YouTube ads to organic SEO isn’t just a case of apples to oranges. It’s more like comparing apples to a fruit salad. You can’t rely on one data source or methodology to measure both effectively. That’s where I come in—to create a measurement framework that makes sense of it all.

Different marketing activities require different approaches

With over 15 years in marketing and analytics, I’ve partnered with tech companies like WeTransfer, VEED.io, Ashby, Dentsu, and Microsoft on everything from audits to retainer-based projects.

Improving campaign performance: from better decisions to data activation

In a nutshell, I help companies improve marketing performance through better data. Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Data has a twofold impact on campaign performance

Path 1: Smarter Decision-Making

I help companies use their data to allocate budgets more effectively by understanding what’s driving performance. This involves:

• Implementing holistic measurement to identify the best performing channels, like MMM, rule-based MTA, and zero-party data.

• Identifying best-performing campaigns and creatives within channels, with activities like server-side tracking and ROAS reports.

• Surfacing actionable insights instead of just numbers, with activities like testing roadmaps and naming conventions.

• Making data accessible by all relevant stakeholders, with centralized dashboards and improved in-platform reporting.

Path 2: Data Activation for Campaign Optimization

Data isn’t just for reporting—it’s a tool to optimize campaigns. With data activation, we can:

• Improve tracking and measurement of ad platforms, giving them better data signals to identify the most valuable users to reach with activities like lead scoring, lead prediction, and server-side tracking.

• Drive campaign efficiency with better audience segments for targeting, retargeting, and exclusion, with activities like implementing RETL and CDPs.

Campaign performance can improved with better reporting and fuller data signals

There is such a thing as “the right time” to work together

Here are some common issues my clients face. If you’re facing these, then it could be the right time to explore a project together:

• Reporting feels unreliable, and you’re not confident in the numbers. Decisions are based on flawed data—or no data at all.

• Campaign performance has declined, and you don’t know why.

• Data sources are misaligned, and discrepancies make analysis impossible or untrustworthy.

• The marketing team has the tools but isn’t leveraging them effectively to improve performance. Or the opposite–they have many plans for how to best leverage data, but aren't able to bring that vision to life.

• You’re unsure if you need an MMM, MMP, CDP, or something else entirely. Vendors are promising you the world, and you’re unsure on what to trust.

• It’s time to scale spend. You’re about to take paid media from 1 to 100 and you must build on a solid data foundation.

The different ways we could work together

An audit is usually the best way to get started

Most of my projects start with a comprehensive marketing analytics audit. Why? Because a solid understanding of your current setup–from both a technical and people perspective–is the foundation for improvement.

During an audit, we cover:

• Stakeholder interviews to understand data sources, reports, and pain points.

• Campaign analysis to assess performance measurement practices.

• QA tracking on both server and client sides.

The result is a detailed roadmap that outlines opportunities, prioritizes actions, and provides clear next steps.

Following these steps, you’ll receive a roadmap of what to tackle, how, and when. Whether fixing tracking, educating your team, or integrating new tools, you’ll have a strategic plan tailored to your needs.

9 out of 10 times I’ll suggest we start with an audit

Retainers are ideal if you need either ongoing or custom support

For ongoing support, I offer retainer packages. These allow me to address marketing and data challenges as they arise. Typical activities include:

• Diagnosing and resolving data discrepancies.

• Investigating sudden changes in campaign performance.

• Reviewing RFPs and vendor proposals.

• Implementing recommendations from the audit, like new data integrations or tracking events.

Bringing in the right expert for your problem

If you’ve already uncovered a marketing data strategy you want to double down on, I can help bring that to life. I partner with some of the best marketing data engineers and marketing scientists in marketing to execute on:

• Implementing server-side tracking for ad platforms

• Building a lead scoring model to send as conversion value and improve ad performance

• Rolling out MTA reporting and bidding for search and other click-based campaigns

And, and and–I also produce content like this for data products

In addition to consulting, I create content for companies looking to connect with data-savvy audiences. Clients include dbt Labs, Mixpanel, and Amplitude. I’ve produced case studies, long-form articles, video courses, social media assets and more.

If you’re building a technical product and need compelling content for marketers, analysts, or data leaders, I can help.

Well, ready to get started?

After nearly 10 years of consulting, I follow these steps for new projects:

1. Intro Call: We’ll discuss your challenges and assess if I’m the right fit.

2. Follow-Up Call: We’ll outline the project goals and deliverables.

3. Access Required: I’ll send a list of the stakeholders and data sources I need access to.

4. Kickoff: Contracts are signed, first payments are made, and we get started.

If you’re interested in learning more, then book a free consultation call: